Stuffed Pumpkin Buns

These cute pumpkin buns are stuffed full of sweet and creamy fresh pumpkin filling. The bread itself is so soft and springy – it’s a perfect baked good for autumn and gatherings.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Bread

200 grams bread flour (sub for all-purpose flour)
50 grams cake flour (or combine all-purpose flour and cornstarch 4:1)
110 grams milk
3/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast
25 grams sugar
120 grams pumpkin puree
15 grams unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pumpkin Puree

500 grams pumpkin, diced

Pumpkin Filling

300 grams pumpkin puree
15 grams cornflour
15 grams milk (or milk powder)
10 grams sugar (optional)
15 grams butter, unsalted

Step-By-Step Instructions

Make the Pumpkin Puree

If you have store bought pumpkin puree, feel free to use that.

1. Add the diced pumpkin to a steamer pot and steam for 15-20 minutes, or until easily pierced by a fork.

2. Allow the pumpkin to cool slightly before transferring to a blender or food processor. Blend until a smooth puree forms. You can make this the day ahead to save time. Make sure to cover it and store in the fridge.

Make the Pumpkin Filling

3. In a small pot over medium low heat, add 300 grams of the pumpkin puree along with the rest of the pumpkin filling ingredients.

4. Continuously stir with a spatula for about 7 minutes, or until the mixture mostly stays in place when scooped. The filling will firm up once it is refrigerated.

5. Turn off the heat, then transfer the filling to a bowl. Place it in the refrigerator while you make the bread.

Make the Bread

6. Add the bread flour (or all purpose flour), sugar and cake flour (or all-purpose flour + cornstarch) to a large mixing bowl and whisk. Set aside.

7. In a bowl, heat up the milk for 30 seconds in the microwave until warm. Mix the yeast into the milk until well dissolved.

8. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients, along with the 120g of pumpkin puree. Mix together until a rough mass forms.

9. Once a rough dough is formed, use your hands to knead the mass until all the ingredients are well combined. The dough will be quite sticky. For the first proofing, cover the bowl with a lid or a towel, and leave it somewhere warm for 20 minutes. If it is cold in your house, place the bowl in the oven with a bowl of hot water.

10. After the 20 minutes, scatter some flour on a clean surface. Place the dough on the surface, and scatter on the softened butter and salt. Use you hands to knead the dough for 20 minutes. The best technique is to push the dough against the work surface using the heel of your hand, then pulling it back, and repeating. Don’t worry if it is sticky – it will become less sticky the more you knead. If you have a stand mixer, simply turn it on medium for about 5-10 minutes.

11. After you finish kneading, lightly grease the large bowl. Place the dough ball into the bowl, cover, and proof for 50 minutes (second proofing), or until doubled in size.

12. If the dough is ready, it should not spring back when poked.

13. After proofing, transfer to the clean floured surface again. Press the dough flat to release air bubbles.

14. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. You can use a bench scraper for this.

15. Shape each portion into a round ball. Do this by pressing the portion of dough flat on the surface, then tucking the sides in towards the centre and fixing the shape in your hand.

16. Place the balls on a lined baking tray, making sure to space them out evenly. Cover the tray with a kitchen towel and proof for a further 15 minutes (third proofing).

Assembling the Buns

17. Meanwhile, retrieve the already-made pumpkin filling from the fridge. Like the dough, divide the filling into 6 balls. It should be easy to work with now that it has hardened. After you roll all the balls, place the fillings back into the fridge.

18. Soak and submerge 6 pieces of (roughly 70cm) cotton cooking twine in any oil. This will prevent the twine from sticking to the bread. Set aside. Make sure you use cotton twine that is specifically for cooking. These can usually be found in grocery stores.

19. After the dough balls have finished proofing, transfer them onto a floured surface. For each portion, roll the dough into a flat circle with a rolling pin. Place a ball of pumpkin filling in the centre of the ball, then tuck the edges of the dough in, sealing the filling inside. Refine it into a ball. Make sure to take the fillings out from the fridge one-by-one, or they may melt.

20. Place one piece of the soaked cotton twine flat out onto your surface. Put the wrapped dough ball (ugly side up) in the centre of the twine. Lift both sides of the twine up at the same time, then rotate the direction – crossing one over the other – and wrap around the other side of the ball. The other side of the ball should now be facing up. Repeat this 2 more times. On the last time, tie the twine into a dead knot and cut off the excess. You should wrap the ball so that the twine sits around it like a fitted t-shirt, but it shouldn’t be too tight. In the end, the ball will be separated by the twine into 8 sections.

21. Space the balls out evenly on a baking tray. Proof for the final time: cover with a towel and proof for 20 minutes.

22. Brush the surface of the balls lightly with milk. Bake at 180C or 350F for 16 minutes.

23. After the bread is cool enough to touch, carefully cut off the cooking twine to unwrap the bread.

24. To make the bread look like cute mini pumpkins, stick something green or brown into the middle intersection (I used garlic stems). Some good ‘stems’ include the stem of the real pumpkin itself (cut into thinner sticks), vegetable stems or cinnamon sticks.